BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS THROUGH MUSIC
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BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS THROUGH MUSIC
Welcome to No Frontiers Festival Now more than ever, music needs to break down the barriers between us. No Frontiers is a festival imagining a world where there are no walls, where all are welcome, where art is inclusive. No Frontiers is the fruit of passionate collaboration celebrating the diverse brilliance of our city and the Conservatoire and it is now a landmark event in the UK’s contemporary music scene. We are honoured to welcome the acclaimed composer Martijn Padding (Netherlands) as our guest for this year’s festival. Having studied under the great Louis Andriessen, Padding’s work is recognisable for its approach, taking influence from pop culture and historical classical principles in equal measure. You will also hear the exciting young talents of the Conservatoire’s emerging composers presented alongside wider professional excellence. Joe Cutler, Ed Bennett, Seán Clancy and Michael Wolters appear alongside their students with performances from Thallein Ensemble and decibel. As our iconic Brutalist headquarters in Paradise Place is demolished, we take this opportunity to spread our music across the city forming partnerships with venues and art spaces such as Centrala, Vivid Projects and 6/8 Kafé. Our new state-of-the-art Conservatoire is being built near Millennium Point and will open in September 2017. No Frontiers invites you to hear the future of contemporary music, now. Bring an open mind, and help us break down barriers. The Frontiers Team 2
FESTIVAL PASSES AVAILABLE £30 gets you entry to ALL No Frontiers events. See p10 for details.
SAT 25 MAR
SAT 25 MAR
ROB NETTLESHIP: ‘MY SWEET LOVE’
LUMOS
1pm Bandstand, Brindleyplace B1 2JF Free entry Director Luke Deane Robert Nettleship & His Heartfelt Band Robert Nettleship lead vocals and drum kit Christine Cornwell violin and backing vocals Sam Leith Taylor tenor saxophone Paul Zaba accordion A romantic realisation of Robert Nettleship’s debut album ‘My Sweet Love,’ performed publicly.
3pm 6/8 Kafé, Temple Row B2 5HG £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Director Thomas Earl Lumos Wind Quintet Georgina Silverton flute Harriet Brown oboe Benjamin Garalnick french horn Hugh Woolley bassoon Jacob Perry clarinet Patrick Ellis Wnd Qntt Wilson Leywantono wind quintet 1 (bass edition) Matt Trembling new work Harm Roché van Tiddens Draaikolk 2 Ivan Cancialosi windsgraph I Thomas Earl new work An exciting concert of brand new music, brought to life through a collaboration between Lumos Wind Quintet and Birmingham Conservatoire composers.
SAT 25 MAR
315 ENSEMBLE 8pm Centrala, Unit 4 Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street B5 5RT
MON 27 MAR
£6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door
MIXD: MUSIC INTERACTION DESIGN
Arjun Jethwa flutes Luke Newby clarinet Laurie McGee violin Laetitia Van Wyk cello Heather Duncanson piano Chris Cresswell guitar/electronics 315 Ensemble presents works by Chris Cresswell, Rob Crehan, Patrick Ellis, Emily Levy, and Kevin Baldwin. Featuring flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, electric guitar and electronics, 315 Ensemble is dedicated to present the newest acoustic and electroacoustic music. This concert features new works written specifically for the ensemble by young composers from the UK and the US.
SUN 26 MAR
YOUNG COMPOSERS PROJECT 6.30pm Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door The Young Composers Project (YCP) supports the new generation of composers and creative music makers. It encourages young people to find their own musical voice by giving them the freedom to experiment in a creative and safe environment, producing startlingly wonderful effects. This year YCP has teamed up with the Conservatoire’s Learning and Participation Ensemble to allow students to work with a large ensemble. The concert will showcase the huge range of music that has been produced reflecting the diversity of styles in the group.
6pm Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Integra Lab/Birmingham Conservatoire Music Technology Department Integra Lab presents MiXD, an evening of innovative, immersive music interaction design. Experience interactive performances exploring the confluence of technology and music in a number of novel ways. Expect genre-defying, experimental works interspersed with DJ sets from the Conservatoire’s own Richard Cornock. 3
MON 27 MAR
LUCY HARVEY/PAUL NORMAN/MICHAEL WOLTERS: WORRIES 9pm Arena Foyer, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG TUE 28 MAR
£6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Text by Lucy Harvey Translation by Michael Wolters Performance concept and sound by Paul Norman and Michael Wolters Performed by Paul Norman and Michael Wolters
FIDELIO TRIO
Lucy Harvey: Guide to Life,
Appendix 1: Picture Library: A Fluke and what if people start shouting at me in the street only because I’m not British, and what if I spent days painting the garden fence and on the day that I finish a storm destroys the whole fence, and what if the prime minister goes on a complete power trip and declares war on every country, and what if we let the general public make all political decisions, although we know from history that that’s the worst possible way, and what if no supermarket stocks Gouda cheese anymore because the Dutch no longer trade with the UK, and what if I’m visiting a country and when I’m there they elect a dictator who immediately stops people from leaving and I’m trapped, and what if homosexuality is declared a crime again, and what if they invent a drug that can extend your life by another 50 years and if I refuse it I’ll have the feeling that I’m missing out, but if I take it I’ll have to live another 50 years, and what if all politicians keep lying to us and calling their lies alternative facts just to confuse us, and what if…
INAUGURAL PROFESSORIAL EVENT: JOE CUTLER PORTRAIT CONCERT 7.30PM Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG £10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door Fidelio Trio Darragh Morgan violin Adi Tal cello Mary Dullea piano Archie Comfortable Music (re)Gaia McNulty Clavinova Music Buckley’s Hot Licks 2016 was a Sad Year for Pop Music All by Joe Cutler
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Joe Cutler’s music has been described as ‘propulsive’ (BBC Music Magazine), ‘alluring’ (Scotsman), ‘neurotic’ (Re-Diffusion) and ‘the best thing to come out of Neasden since Twiggy’ (Gramophone). Tonight’s event celebrates the music of Professor Joe Cutler with performances from long-time collaborators, the internationally acclaimed Fidelio Trio, and features a wide range of pieces written over the last ten years, including two brand new works.
WED 29 MAR
THU 30 MAR
LIVE JAZZ BROADCAST
ENSEMBLE COURT-CIRCUIT
1PM Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG
6PM Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG
Free entry A live recording of some of our best senior jazz students. WED 29 MAR
BCMS COMPOSITION PRIZE FINAL: INCUS ENSEMBLE
£10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door Chris Swithinbank Wegen und waldstille Jonathan Harvey Piano trio Thomas Adès Catch Christophe Bertrand Sanh Franck Bedrossian L’usage de la parole
7.30PM Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG
L’ensemble Court-circuit were founded by Philippe Hurel and Pierre AndreValade over twenty years ago.
£10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door
Not shy of experimentation, they regard themselves as an art project promoting intense risk-taking, an agitator in the international contemporary scene. This concert promises to be a real highlight of this year’s festival.
Rose Redgrave viola Jack McNeill clarinet David Quigley piano Adjudicator Martijn Padding Incus Ensemble perform a selection of ambitious new works by Birmingham Conservatoire composers for this final of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society Prize. Rafael Garcia Jaramillo, Maarten Benschop, Ssu-Han Liu, Dan Cippico, James Oldham, Daniel Blanco Albert and Soul Zisso all compete for this esteemed prize.
At the heart of Incus Ensemble are its founding members Jack McNeill Rose Redgrave and David Quigley. The virtuosic trio can offer repertoire for this unusual combination of instruments ranging from Mozart through to Kurtág and Cutler.
With financial help from Diaphonique, the Franco-British fund for contemporary music supported by the Institut Français, SACEM (French Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music), British Council, bureauexport for French music and the French Ministry of Culture and Media. Court-circuit is supported by the Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs of the Île-de-France – Ministry of Culture and Media, as part of CERNI (Companies and Ensembles with National and International Influence). The activities of the ensemble are funded by the Île-de-France region as part of its support for artistic and cultural heritage. Court-circuit is also in receipt of financial support from SACEM, SPEDIDAM (Society for the Collection and Distribution of Royalties for Performing Artists) and “Musique Nouvelle en Liberté” 5
THU 30 MAR
SEĂ N CLANCY 9PM Centrala, Unit 4 Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street B5 5RT Free entry A Live Performance on Multiple Synthesisers with Text Projection of a Piece Called Schematics Book I. Conceived, composed, and performed by SeĂĄn Clancy Conceiving of, and composing a piece of music can take a long time. Many, many things can also take place during this time that may or may not affect the composition process. See and hear how this idea might be explored in a live electronic performance with multiple synthesisers and text projection in the intimate setting of Centrala.
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FRI 31 MAR
FRI 31 MAR
CREATIVE ENSEMBLE
THALLEIN ENSEMBLE
6pm Foyer, Parkside Building, Birmingham City University B4 7BD
7.30pm The Shell, Parkside Building, Birmingham City University B4 7BD
Free entry
£10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door
Creative Ensemble works along the broadest possible musical outlines, and the works performed often encompass the completely notated, the completely improvised and everything in between. It is a long running ensemble made up of composers from the Conservatoire and focuses on works by the members of the group, taking a supportive and creative approach to each other’s compositions. Take this opportunity to hear the fruits of their regular workshops, discussion and rehearsals.
Conductor Daniele Rosina Anne Michael harmonium Joe Cutler Boogie Nights Amoret Abis Earthly Delights Harm Roché van Tiddens So Glad soos Seep Martijn Padding Padding’s Millennium Peasant Dance No.1 Martijn Padding First Harmonium Concerto We are thrilled to welcome Martijn Padding as our featured composer for Frontiers from the Royal Conservatoire in the Hague, where he is Professor and Head of Composition. Martijn Padding’s music is instantly recognisable, displaying a fascination for brightness, contrasts between the logical and the illogical, and cunning rather than grand gestures. Thallein are delighted to present some key works from Padding’s recent oeuvre alongside the Conservatoire’s Head of Composition Joe Cutler’s fascinating work for Barrel Organ and Ensemble, Boogie Nights, and brand new pieces from emerging composers, Harm Roché van Tiddens and Amoret Abis.
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FRI 31 MAR
SAT 1 APR
TRIPLICITY
VIVID TRIP
9pm Centrala, Unit 4 Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street B5 5RT
10am-4pm 16, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley St, B5 5RT
£4 advance
Free entry
Director Rosie Tunley CharCole Collective Puro Jekuto Josh Herring
Directors Cam Athanasiades, Peter Bell, Wilson Leywantono, Dan Cippico
Charcole Collective Headed up by Xhosa Cole, this exciting new band pays homage to Birmingham’s cultural history, featuring compositions inspired by Birmingham’s architecture; past, present and future. Puro Jekuto colour ∙ chord ∙ imagery ∙ motion Josh Herring Josh Herring is a musician and songwriter with a clear and simple delivery of emotionally driven music.
Harm Roché van Tiddens WWW (What? Where? Who?/Wat? Waar? Wie?) stenton.press font blu Oliver Mack tokens of time Kolbitr Satsu Patrick Ellis The Streets of Birmingham Susannah Self Fuse Andy Ingamells ABCDEFG! Why compose new music when you could compose new tweets? Peter Bell & Cam Athanasiades tbc Wilson Leywantono Space in... Dan Cippico Warehouse Piece An extraordinary exhibition of the all-encompassing taking place at Vivid Projects. Drop by to experience visuals, music, film, performance, spoken word and much more...
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SAT 1 APR
DECIBEL 7pm Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire B3 3HG £10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door Ed Bennett composer / artistic director / electronics Daniele Rosina conductor Mira Benjamin violin Neil McGovern saxophones Michelle Holloway recorders Jack McNeill clarinets Martyn Sanderson trombone Paul Norman electric guitar Sebastiano Dessanay bass Eliza McCarthy piano Damien Harron percussion Featuring music by Emily Abdy, Leonid Lobrevs, Felix Cheung, Anna Maria Olson, Matt Trembling and Richard Stenton Formed by Irish composer Ed Bennett, the 10 piece ensemble decibel explore experimental, energetic, extreme and unusual work which generally exists between, or outside the usual categories. They play new music which combines a direct amplified instrumental ensemble sound with electronics, improvisation and theatrical elements. Apart from premiering many works by Ed Bennett, decibel has worked with a diverse range of subversive composers and artists including Louis Andriessen, Heiner Goebbels, Laurence Crane, Howard Skempton, Michael Finnissy, Joe Cutler and Michael Wolters commissioning and premiering many new works. The group has also collaborated with artists from different disciplines including video artists and choreographers.
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HOW TO BOOK BOOK ONLINE
FESTIVAL PASS AVAILABLE
www.eventbrite.co.uk
£30 (£20 concessions) – saving more than 50% on tickets if purchased individually to all events. Please note that entry to all events is subject to availability. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.
ON THE DOOR Tickets are available to purchase at the venue up to 30 minutes prior to the event start time. BY PHONE You can guarantee your ticket by telephoning the Conservatoire’s Venues, Concerts and Events Office on 0121 331 5909 to reserve your ticket in advance. Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm. Your ticket will then be available for you to purchase or collect at the box office of the venue in question from up to 30 minutes prior to the event start time.
Please note that an event photographer and film crew will be at the festival and photographs and footage taken may be used for future publicity. 10
Entry to all No Frontiers events is free to Birmingham City University staff and students except where indicated. CONCESSIONS Unless otherwise stated, concessionary prices apply to children (16 and under), students, 60 plus, registered disabled and the unemployed. Identification may be requested for those carrying concessionary tickets. PLEASE NOTE: No Frontiers Festival cannot guarantee refunds or exchange tickets after purchase. All details in the printed programme were correct at the time of going to print, however the festival reserve the right to change the programme or replace artists due to unforeseen circumstances.
PARADISE CIRCUS REDEVELOPMENT Open for business as usual We are pleased to confirm that during the Paradise Circus Redevelopment, Birmingham Conservatoire is open for business as usual. For more information on how surrounding areas may be affected, or for advice on your journey to the city centre, please visit www.birmingham.gov. uk/connected or contact the Conservatoire on 0121 331 5909 where a member of staff will be pleased to help you.
THANK YOU
COMING SOON
Birmingham Conservatoire would sincerely like to thank the following for their generous support, without which No Frontiers Festival would not be able to take place. Hinrichsen Foundation RVW Frontiers Festival would like to thank the many musicians, composers and artists that feature in the programme and the volunteers that have given their time so generously.
TUE 2 MAY
JUSTIN WIGGAN: COLLAPSE 6pm Recital Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Collapse is the new piece by sound artist Justin Wiggan, created in collaboration with students from Birmingham Conservatoire. The work investigates the removal of buildings and the utilisation of an empirical mind-set, leading to the psychological crutch of nostalgia.
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This is explored in a live sonic essay collaging TS Elliott’s Wasteland, the removal of Paradise Forum and the transferral of educational space, seen through the genres of harsh noise wall and doom metal. The performance will induce crumbling anxiety, leading to the wish of escape to the outside, thus achieving a full circle. Andy Howlett’s Paradise Lost: History in the Unmaking also features tonight.
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19 - 20 JUNE 2017 FEATURING:
‘kəʊdə/ noun
the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure.
Join us for a two-day marathon of new music as we say good-bye to our old home. Enjoy a concert every other hour from 9am each day. /birmcons
@birmcons
www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire
Howard Skempton Michael Wolters Andy Hamilton Seán Clancy Fumiko Miyachi & Kate Halsall Daniel Blanco Albert Eric McElroy BCU Afrocuban Jazz Orchestra present Grupo Paradiso! Monkathon Mahler Song Cycle New works for Birmingham Conservatoire’s own player piano - supervised by Martin Perkins and Maya Verlaak and many more
New Conservatoire venues open September 2017. Opening Festival from Spring 2018.